129th Rescue Wing - THUMBS UP!

GOOD SAVE!

Man near death before airlift

Katherine Dedyna, Times Colonist Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A Victoria fisherman suffering from a potentially fatal infection was airlifted more than 700 kilometres from his vessel to hospital last week in a monumental rescue effort that involved two days, five aircraft and nearly 40 U.S. air force personnel.

Gordon Farewell, 53, is now recovering from blood poisoning in hospital in San Jose, Calif. But less than a week ago, he was near death after being poked by tuna spines that broke off in his skin and festered into a blood infection.

"By the time I asked for some help, I was pretty sick," Farewell admitted from his hospital bed.

The drama began last Wednesday morning, when Harold Tretwold, engineer of the Vancouver-based Ocean Marauder, which was fishing for tuna about 700 kilometres off the northern coast of California, called the Canadian Coast Guard at Tofino to talk to a doctor about Farewell's wounds.

He was told to contact the U.S. Coast Guard, but when he did, he was told the Marauder was well beyond the range of the U.S. rescue helicopters. Instead, the coast guard contacted the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Florida. As the Marauder steamed for port, about two days away, the centre gave the mission to members of 129th Rescue Wing, many of whom had just returned from firefighting in northern California.

That evening, a C-130 Hercules flew out to the Marauder with four parachutist-paramedics on board. Rescue personnel dropped into the sea, swam to the boat and clambered up the ladder, quickly hooking Farewell up to IVs, treating him with antibiotics, stabilizing his condition and readying him for the trip to hospital the next day. The plane returned to base.

The next morning, two HH-60 helicopters and two C-130s, which can refuel the choppers in the air, left California to pick up Farewell and the paramedics. The two helicopter-plane pairs were sent in case one set went down during the rescue.

When they arrived, Farewell was hoisted aboard a chopper and flown to San Jose.

"In all of my years I have been fishing, I have never seen anything like that," Tretwold said about the rescue.

When asked about the rescue effort, Capt. Alyson Teeter, spokeswoman for the 129 Rescue Wing, said costs is irrelevant. "We've been tasked to save a life and that's what we do."

Farewell will stay in hospital until he fully recovers, said his wife, Debra, who remained in Victoria. She's grateful for the Americans' efforts.

"From what the doctor told me, if he stayed out any longer, he wouldn't be around to tell the story."

‎"The education of a firefighter and the continued education of a firefighter is what makes "real" firefighters. Continuous skill development is the core of progressive firefighting. We learn by doing and doing it again and again, both on the training ground and the fireground."
Lt. Ray McCormack, FDNY

A Return Of The Favour

Sailor rescued as Cristobal hits East

Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2008

HALIFAX -- A Canadian Forces helicopter plucked a 66-year-old U.S. man last night from the Atlantic Ocean after four-metre waves caused by tropical storm Cristobal capsized the vessel, snapping its mast.

The man, whose name was not released, was sailing from Fair Haven, Conn., to the Azores in Portugal when he was caught in the storm, said Cdr. Mike Considine, spokesman for the Atlantic Joint Rescue Centre in Halifax. Considine said the man activated a homing beacon as his vessel Seanine capsized about 250 kilometres southeast of Halifax in open waters.

The Canadian air force came to the rescue of the U.S. navy Monday with the medical evacuation of a sailor from a U.S. naval ship.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria was notified at 10 p.m. that a 19-year-old sailor was ill and needed immediate medical care.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre notified 19 Wing Comox, and a Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft and Cormorant helicopter were dispatched to the USS Milius, located 400 kilometres off the coast.

The Buffalo located the navy vessel to hasten the Cormorant's arrival, said Capt. Sue Ellen MacGowan. The search-and-rescue technicians were lowered from the helicopter to the vessel's back deck as the ship rocked in swells of up to five metres.

The patient was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Comox, where his condition had not been released last night.

The 129th Recue Wing (flying out of Moffet, I think), has performed many of these missions.
Anyone more than about 200nm from the Coast gets a USAF or USN response, depending who has assets in the region.
The Coast Guard doesn't have the erial refueling option.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre notified 19 Wing Comox, and a Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft and Cormorant helicopter were dispatched to the USS Milius, located 400 kilometres off the coast.

Wonder why the Milius didn't use it's own helo?
They usually have 1 or 2 LAMPs SH60's on board, even the older DDG's have been upgraded to carry helos.